ICYMI: Best of The Beast This Week

Robert Duvall on His Storied Career, His New Movie, and Why He’s Ditching the GOP by Marlow Stern. After years of film, countless accolades and working in Hollywood, Duvall takes a moment at SXSW to talk about what it’s like being a Republican in the land of cinema, and how it has effected his roles and views on film over time.

How the Kings of Fracking Double-Crossed Their Way to Riches by Abrahm Lustgarten. Through the power of monopoly and sharply cutting royalty payments, Chesapeake Energy is now sitting on mountains of money.

My Building Exploded. I Survived: Harlem Miracle Man Tells His Story by Michael Daly. The explosion in East Harlem last Wednesday caused Colin Patterson to lose everything but his life, and here’s how.

“True Detective,” Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and “Twin Peaks” by Jimmy So. The story of two detectives in search of a killer is nothing new, but the McConaughey-Harrelson show is still a horse of a different color.

Thanks, Anti-Vaxxers. You Just Brought Back Measles in NYC by Russell Saunders. The parents who refused to vaccinate their kids are the reason behind the measles resurrecting themselves in New York.

Happy Birthday Barbie! Now Die by Brandy Zandrozny. Our beloved Barbie has been the go-to toy for girls for the past 55 years, and now it’s time we move on and find something else to toy around with.

"The Cowboys of Crimea" by Kamil Tchorek. The Cossacks stood for freedom and individualism, and central Russia would do anything to keep them from spreading their ideals.

The Feminists Who Stood Up To Putin by Lizzie Crocker. Pussy Riot and Femen are the strong groups fighting against Putin’s machismo culture mindset.

The Absinthe-Minded Buenos Aires by Jeff Campagna. The smuggled-in liquor is highly illegal in Buenos Aires are illegal, but that’s not stopping anyone any time soon.

The Anti-Model Agency by Erin Cunningham. This agency in London thinks out of the box, and can potentially turn the business of modeling around.

Georgia Legislators Think Felons Should Be Able to Shoot You by Cliff Schecter. Guns could potentially become easily accessible in Georgia, and it won’t take much to own one.

Flight 370 Is Just the Start: Why Asia Can’t Get Air Safety Right by Clive Irving. Flight 370 from Malaysian Airlines has been missing, and with a lack of clues or knowledge of when exactly it lost contact, its disappearance has baffled all.